Sunday, October 25, 2009

Whether its building a house, a haircut or an outfit, STRUCTURE is the first step. With clinging jersey knits continuing to gain popularity, this art principle continues ring true.

Here are some suggestions sure to structure the body better in your latest trendy outfit:

1. Express Lined Camisoles

Love handles- you just cannot have them. Express lined camisoles are long lasting and have superb spandex, making anyone's flab a bit firmer. And, they can easily be tucked in and keep you insulated in the winter.

2. Control Top Pantyhose

When an ensemble does not work with the camisole, shear control top pantyhose do the trick, even under dress pants and jeans. Hanes makes a great version that make you forget you even put them on, Hanes Barely There. These target both the love handles and a less than perfect behind.

3. Leggings

Tunics. T-shirt dresses. Legging Jeans. Legging Dress Pants. Capri Length. Calf-length. Full length. Everywhere we turn there are legging. A good rule of thumb: if born before 1970 and/or weigh more than 150, leggings are not for you. Middle aged women tend to look stuck in a past decade and ladies beyond a thin frame tend to look unkempt donning this popular trend.

Leggings are comfortable, casual or dressy and relatively inexpensive to replace. But in this case, do yourself a favor: ONLY purchase leggings of quality material that is not transparent. IF purchasing legging jeans , be aware that only a unisex long, lean body type ever looks spectacular in them. When it comes to legging dress pants, a little spandex goes a long way. Finally, these pants are NEVER to be worn with natural waist shirts (think fingertips and longer). For some dresses, consider replacing leggings with solid black tights.

I have a love/hate feeling about leggings. They've been so good to me, but they can never be a part of a professional office wardrobe. And, as the babydoll shape fades out of popularity, it's to be expected that leggings will finally be replaced by fabulous tights. On the other hand, the eighties trend continues to carry on the skinny pants/legging styling. So, stay on the lookout for more professional versions and be prepared to spend a little extra to get a cut and quality that make your body look its best.